Description
The City of London Almshouses comprise a series of building ranges, mainly two storeys high, that line three sides of the rectangular communal garden. On the east side past the lodge are two blocks: Rogers Almshouses, and then Gresham's Almshouses, both relocated here in the 1880s and replacing ancient almshouses in the City. The layout of the communal garden appears little changed from its original layout, and has mature trees and grass, with railings to Ferndale Road.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Gresham Almshouses; Rogers Almshouses |
|---|---|
| Site location | Ferndale Road/Allardyce Road |
| Postcode | SW9 |
| What3Words | ///chats.famed.closet |
| Type of Site | Private Garden |
| Borough | Lambeth |
| Open to Public | Occasionally |
| Opening Times | private, but some public access during the day. Back gardens are private for use by residents only |
| Public Transport | Rail/Tube: Brixton (Victoria), Clapham North (Northern) |
| Research Updated | 1 August 2005 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The City of London Almshouses comprise a series of building ranges, mainly two storeys high, that line three sides of the green quadrangle facing Ferndale Road. On the east side past the lodge are two blocks: Rogers Almshouses designed by T Colcott, now renovated, and then Gresham's (1882); both were relocated here in the 1880s and replaced ancient almshouses in the City. Robert Rogers almshouses had been established in 1601 in Cripplegate; Gresham's had been in City Mews; the contractor for the new almshouses was Messrs Ashby and Horner whose tender for £3940 was accepted on 20 December 1881 by the Gresham Committee (City Side). The red-brick houses on the other two sides of the green are the City of London Freeman's Houses (1884), or Reform Almshouses established here by the Corporation of the City of London. The land was bought with money given by the public to commemorate the passing of the Parliamentary Reform Act of 1832 by providing houses for poor freemen and others of the City of London. In 1884 the 16 houses built before the Corporation acquired the land in Brixton were pulled down and rebuilt. The present buildings were designed by Davis and Emmanuel architects, replacing the earlier almshouses built in the 1830s. The foundation stone was laid on 17 December 1884 by the Chairman of the City of London Freeman's Orphan School Committee and foundation stones and plaques remain set in the walls.
During the 1960s the almshouses were modernised for the first time in the C20th and today only a handful of elderly residents are from the City; all the others have been nominated by Lambeth Council. The fourth side to the street is railed with the original railings set on a dwarf brick wall with stone coping. The square garden appears to have changed little in layout and remains largely set to lawn with straight tarmac paths, and lined with plane trees and horse chestnuts. The row of horse chestnuts along the fence to Ferndale Road was probably planted in the 1940s and there is also a chestnut probably planted mid-1980s between the Lodge and Rogers Almshouses. In front of the Freeman's Houses are flowerbeds set in the lawn mainly planted with roses and between the blocks are shrubs planted in earlier days, possibly by the residents themselves. Pots of plants are in front of entrances; the gardens at the backs of houses are private and have trees, shrubs and flowerbeds, with a path running beside the houses.
During the 1960s the almshouses were modernised for the first time in the C20th and today only a handful of elderly residents are from the City; all the others have been nominated by Lambeth Council. The fourth side to the street is railed with the original railings set on a dwarf brick wall with stone coping. The square garden appears to have changed little in layout and remains largely set to lawn with straight tarmac paths, and lined with plane trees and horse chestnuts. The row of horse chestnuts along the fence to Ferndale Road was probably planted in the 1940s and there is also a chestnut probably planted mid-1980s between the Lodge and Rogers Almshouses. In front of the Freeman's Houses are flowerbeds set in the lawn mainly planted with roses and between the blocks are shrubs planted in earlier days, possibly by the residents themselves. Pots of plants are in front of entrances; the gardens at the backs of houses are private and have trees, shrubs and flowerbeds, with a path running beside the houses.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ306754 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 1.46 |
| Site Ownership | City of London Almshouses Trust |
| Site Management | City of London Almshouses Trust, with some assistance by residents |
| Dates | c.1870 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Roger's Almshouses; Gresham Almshouses; City of London Almshouses; East Lodge north of Roger's Almshouses |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Lambeth |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Trinity Gardens |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Trinity Square was laid out in 1850 at the rear of Trinity Asylum, women's almshouses built in 1822. The original C19th houses survive on three sides of the square, and by the early C20th an enclosure in the centre of the square was let to the licensee of the Trinity Arms as an allotment garden. In 1931 Mr Stenton Covington began to raise funds for its purchase on the condition that the local authority would maintain it as a public open space. As a result it was conveyed to Lambeth Borough Council following agreement to lay it out as a public garden dedicated to children's recreation. In the early C21st the garden was re-landscaped with new seating, planting, and gates.
The site was once part of Rush/Rushey Common. Houses built here in 1839 were demolished when the new library was built in 1893, paid for by Henry Tate, who had settled in Streatham Common at Park Hill in 1884. After his death in 1899 his widow commemorated his considerable philanthropy by the purchase of Brixton Oval, which she presented to the local Council for a public garden in 1905, to be called the Tate Library Garden. A bust of Sir Henry was erected by public subscription and the garden was laid out with raised flower beds and surrounded with railings. In 1937 a small area was taken for road widening in the 1960s and the garden was redesigned, at which time the railings were removed. Windrush Square was laid out on adjacent land in 1998, named to commemorate the arrival of MV Empire Windrush from Jamaica on 22 June 1942. In 2010 the two sites were brought together as a single entity to form one open space as part of Brixton Town Centre Masterplan with new planting, lighting and seating.
St Matthew's Church was one of the four 'Waterloo' churches built in Lambeth following the Napoleonic wars. The churchyard was officially closed for burials in 1853. The southern part of the former burial ground was conveyed to Lambeth Borough Council for a public garden in 1953, the northern part in 1958. Road realignments in 1960 altered the site, extending it to the north-east and reducing it to the north-west. The garden was designated a Peace Garden in the 1980s. At the northern tip of the gardens is a substantial monument to Richard Budd, erected 1825.
